constable

 
Pronunciation: /ˈkʌnstəb(ə)l, ˈkɒn-/

noun

  • 1British a police officer.
  • (also police constable) a police officer of the lowest rank.
  • 2the governor of a royal castle.
  • historical the highest-ranking official in a royal household.

Origin:

Middle English (in constable (sense 2)): from Old French conestable, from late Latin comes stabuli 'count (head officer) of the stable'. constable (sense 1) dates from the mid 19th century